Sunday, July 31, 2011

Being is a mood for some lighthearted fun last night; I decided to change things up from my normal viewing rotation. That is when I stumbled upon the indie-comedy The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu.

Plot/ Jeff is an ordinary guy that is stuck at a dead end job with a boring life, but when a strange old man gives him an Ancient relic and tells him that he is the last bloodline of H.P. Lovecraft, He and his friend Charlie embark on an adventure to protect the relic piece from falling into the hands of the Starspawn and his minions that wish to reunite the relic and release Cthulhu back into the world.

As a fan of Lovecraft, it was awesome to stumble upon a comedy that was loosely based on his writings. I am all for independent cinema and love when the movies tend to be outside of the box and this one was. Sure, it is not at all perfect; in fact, it may be more bad than good.The make-up effects are bad; the acting choppy, the storyline is full of holes and the pacing seems a bit off. The great thing about this flick is that even with all of those giant flaws, this is a hilarious tip of the hat to the horror master.Honestly, it is a lot more entertaining than I ever expected and it seemed to grab me. Even with all of the flaws I would watch it again. Check it out!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

It was movie day, and while half the family wanted to watch The Smurfs, Jillian and I wanted something different. Our selection for the day once we finished at the auction was Cowboys and Aliens.

Plot/ 1873, Arizona Territory, a stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution, the only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. Soon, this lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world.

I was not sure what to expect with this one as it seems that viewers either love it or hate it. Personally, I actually fall somewhere in between. The storyline was interesting, the acting solid, the script and pacing good and the aliens were pretty cool. Yet, there was something missing that kept it from being great. Maybe it was the overall lack of character development, yes, the characters are memorable, but there could have been so much more. Or maybe it was the overall lack of aliens. However, by and large, this was an original take on the sci-fi & western genres, and it was truly entertaining. I am not sure we would go see it in the theatre again, but I would enjoy watching it again.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

After a few more days of packing, I decided to sit down and check out a movie. My decision was to check out the supposedly scary Insidious.

Plot/ A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Maybe it is just me, but I honestly did not feel this one and really wonder if I saw the right movie. Yes, it had some atmosphere and decent cinematography, especially when you consider the clichéd storyline. However, that is about where the positives end. The acting was uneven, the sound quality poor, and the effects seemed a bit amateurish. In the end, this was really nothing new and extremely overrated. Sure, you can check it out from the Red Box and maybe see things differently, but I honestly would not waste more than a dollar on this one.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I still have not got back in the swing of blogging since we returned from Pennsylvania. Maybe it is the fact that my house is cluttered with boxes as we pack, or maybe it is just that I have not found the right movie. My choice to get back into it was the 1970s campy fun, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf from 1973.

Plot/ Little Richie Bridgestone (whose parents are divorced) goes to spend the weekend with his father at his secluded mountain cabin, and witnesses his father being attacked by 'a creature' that the boy recognizes as a werewolf. He spends the rest of the film trying to convince his mother, and his therapist that his father is now a werewolf.

To me, this flick cried for a Horror Host. It is a fun, campy low budget gem that is actually more good than bad. Yes, it is nothing great with subpar acting and a totally unbelievable plot. Yet, there is something creepy that pops up from time-to-time. When you couple that with a fun looking werewolf and some awesome characters, you have a B-Movie gem that is definitely worth watching! If you enjoy camp, you will enjoy this!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

As I have been travelling to Pennsylvania looking for a house, I have neglected my blog for far too long. Finally tonight I decided to watch a flick or two to try to get back into the swing of things because packing is driving me crazy. My first selection was the Legend of Bloody Maryfrom 2008.

Plot/ Ryan has been plagued with nightmares since the night his sister Amy went missing 8 years earlier after playing the game Bloody Mary.

I always like urban legend flicks and try to hope for the best. Unfortunately, this film is far from the best. Being a low budget, straight to DVD movie, it definitely suffers from many of the same faults as others in that category. The acting is pretty bad, the script unexciting, the pacing off and the effects subpar. Even that atmosphere is pretty lame and the twist ending was poor. There were some good points within the storyline that at least made it watchable, but those were few and far between. In the end, it was nothing special and I would not watch it again. If I were you, I would stay clear.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Yes, it has only been a couple days, but it feels like an eternity since I last watched a good horror flick. Today, I decided it had been long enough and dove into the Peter Cushing / Christopher Lee well with The Creeping Flesh from 1973.

Plot/ A Victorian-age scientist returns to London with his paleontological bag-of-bones discovery from Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, when exposed to water, flesh returns to the bones unleashing a malevolent being on the scientist's family and friends.

Any time that Cushing and Lee work together, it seems that something magical happens. This film is no different. This is pure atmospheric gothic horror featuring a solid script, an interesting storyline, an eerie soundtrack, some stellar performances and some philosophical questioning. Throw in one of Cushing's best roles, a complex plot and some good effects and you have one of the best British horror flicks of the decade.This is an awesome flick that is definitely worth watching. Check it out!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The guys over at the eerieTube did this great video of the Run Out from Blobfest 2011. At about the 25 second mark you can catch me and the rest of the realm running out on the left side of the screen.

After spending the majority of my weekend at Blobfest 2011, it was nice to sit down and enjoy a movie last night. My choice was the year 2000 slasher CUT.

Plot/ A group of film students attempt to finish a horror movie that stopped production years earlier when the director was killed. Unaware that every attempt to complete the picture coincided with the murders of those involved, the students return to the original location in an isolated part of the country. When filming begins, so do the killings.

After spending the majority of my youth enjoying the 1980s, I have to admit that I love the slasher movie! While over time the genre has changed, it does have its moments. This movie falls somewhere into this same ideal, not overly original, but it does have its moments. While some of it is cliché, it boasts a nice mixture of slasher, mystery and comedy. The acting is solid, with Molly Ringwald playing her role as a washed up B Movie actress perfectly! The atmosphere and effects are also solid and make the movie a lot better than it probably should have been. However, there are some flaws. The script is uneven and riddled with holes, there are some editing issues that transition scenes in a choppy manner and really it is way too short. However, in the end, this entertaining and campy throwback was better than expected. I would definitely think it is worth watching for horror or slasher fans.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

It has been a fun two days hanging out in Phoenixville, PA with other fans of the Sci-Fi Classic The Blob at Blobfest 2011. Today was no exception. Honestly, there is nothing better than watching the classic flick on the big screen. Couple that with some great entertainment and it was Awesome! Here are some more pictures from the weekend.

Last night I wrote a quick post about Blobfest and Jillian receiving her Shorty Award for Fan Favorite. Here is the video of the ceremony including Blob Zombie and all of its Big Screen glory. Thanks to everyone who voted, hopefully, Jillian will continue her film career and create something even better.

Here is a sampling of some of the great entertainment that took place tonight during the Stage Show just prior to the Run Out. Some of the highlights were Ghoul-A-Go-Go, Dr. Frank N. Stone, Mr. Lobo, The Patient Creatures, and of course, the Blob himself.

It was a great moment watching Jillian head to the stage as she was awarded her Fan's Choice Shorty Award for her movie Blob Zombie! This was a great flick and it was awesome hearing the crowd laugh and almost sing along to the great flick.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Tomorrow night marks the start of Blobfest in Pheonixville, Pa. The festivities start with a stage show and run-out to pay homage to the classic Sci-Fi gem. Luckily we have tickets for the event and will be there to enjoy all of the festivities (including the screening of Jillian's flick Blob Zombie which won the fans choice award). Here is a schedule of events for all of the great entertainment tomorrow! I will blog about the run-out and Saturday's events tomorrow night!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Last night I was looking for something mindless to waste some time. What did I find? The 2005 werewolf legend flick Beast of Bray Road.

Plot/ Loosely based on actual accounts of werewolf sightings in Walworth County, Wisconsin, the film follows a local sheriff who is finally forced to accept that a string of horrifying deaths is linked to a predator which possesses DNA of both man and wolf.

This flick has everything that one would like in a werewolf movie; the small town flavor, a new skeptical sheriff, a cryptozoologist, the local bad boys, the drunk women (who do get undressed) and of course a mysterious beast out for blood. This low budget gem had all of that and more. Sure, it suffers from some uneven acting, poor costuming, an undeveloped plot and some head scratching moments, but in this case it works. In fact, the movie moves along at a solid pace which keeps you engrossed, especially as the amount of gore increases. Yes, the beast is not perfect and the twist ending made me wonder if I missed something (the timeline does not add up with some of the killings and the monsters availability). However, for a low budget independent flick, this was one of the better ones. If you are into low budget horror and like intestines, check this one out.